November 2019. In February, supermarket giant Lidl hung out the flags after the District Court in Rotterdam ruled that its beer brand Kordaat did not infringe beer-maker Grolsch’s Kornuit trademark. The Court concluded that consumers were unlikely to confuse the two beers. Whether Lidl keeps the flags flying remains to be seen, though, since Grolsch has now lodged an appeal against the judgement. The wind could change direction.

Grolsch’s Kornuit on the left and on the right Lidl’s Kordaat

Bas Kist